Someone in Illinois just won $5.6M - they are yet to claim the prize

• Illinois Lottery announces that a new $5.6m jackpot has been won in the state
• This is the second-largest win in the state so far in 2026, after a $11.6m won in late January
• The owners of the venue that sold the most recent jackpot were in shock and excited about the winner

The customary search for the owner of a life-changing ticket is on, with the Illinois Lottery confirming that someone in Southern Illinois has indeed scooped the seven-figure prize purse in the March 23 Lotto drawing.

Another big jackpot drops in Illinois with $5.6m waiting to be claimed

The winner bought their ticket at Royals Liquor at 1805 N. Belt West in Belleville, Illinois. The six numbers that were matched by the lucky devil were 5,18, 27, 33, 40, and 49, resulting in the $5.6m prize - the state's second largest.

While the winner has still not stepped forward to claim their prize as of the time of reporting, the Illinois Lottery was able to get a quick word with Bhavik Patel, the co-owner of the venue that sold the ticket.

"I got a call early this morning from a customer saying we sold the winning jackpot ticket. At first, I thought it was a prank—it can be hard to believe something like that over the phone. I checked the Lottery’s website and was shocked to see our store listed as the retailer that sold the winning ticket," he told the lottery, sharing that even to him, finding out his store had sold the multi-million ticket already felt surreal.

Patel admitted that he was in shock, but also excited that one of the store’s customers had been able to scoop the prize. The venue will also get its customary share of the prize for doing so, and this is the second-largest jackpot to have been won in the Prairie State in 2026.

The record-setter is an $11.6m pot scooped on January 24. Earlier in March, another player won $500,000 playing the Lucky Day Lotto.

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